A FREE-TO-USE water refill station has been installed at the Pontypool Civic Centre.

The installation of the refill station coincides with today’s National Refill Day. It can be found near the customer service desk by the front door of the Civic Centre, making it easily accessible to the public.

The Refill Campaign was launched in Torfaen in February, and aims to get as many businesses as possible to sign up to become refill stations, reducing the number of single-use plastic bottles that people use, all while saving people money and keeping them hydrated.

Councillor Fiona Cross, executive member for the environment, led the work to install the refill station.

She said: “There are Refill water sites all over Torfaen from coffee shops to Torfaen Leisure Trust, and I am so pleased we’ve been able to start our Refill journey as a council.

“We will never be able to recycle our way out of our waste problem, but the Refill scheme helps people reduce and reuse their plastic bottles before they finally need to be recycled.

“The environmental impact of plastic bottles in the UK is staggering. The Refill project estimates that around 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every single day in the UK, and we want to help reduce this.”

Local Refill champion Miles Thomas, who launched Refill Torfaen alongside a team of volunteers, said: “Here in Torfaen we’re rightly proud of the area’s stunning natural environment.

“However, plastics, including single-use plastic bottles, are now the most frequently found type of litter on UK green spaces and beaches.

“You don’t have to look far to find them littering our towns and local environment too. I’m delighted that Torfaen County Borough Council is serious about reducing plastic bottle waste and have installed a refill station.

“Refill Torfaen gives everyone the opportunity to help make this type of litter a thing of the past at the same time as saving money.

“It makes good business sense as well, research has shown that customers view businesses that provide free water refills more favourably and are more likely to return to them to make future purchases.”

If you are keen on supporting the Refill Torfaen scheme as a business, community facility or volunteer, get in touch by emailing refilltorfaen@gmail.com or getting in touch on Twitter @refilltorfaen